Review: My Brightest Diamond - This Is My Hand
By Bailey Kretz, Staff Writer
[Paper Bag/ Asthmatic Kitty; 2014]
Rating: 8/10
Key Tracks: “Lover Killer,” “I am not the Bad Guy,” “Pressure,” “So Easy”
Shara Worden, the voice behind My Brightest Diamond, proves yet another dimension in her excellent new release, This Is My Hand. Filled with clean drumming, slick bass and Worden’s impressive voice, this album is overall a great release.
This Is My Hand begins with “Pressure,” one of the album’s singles. Strong marching band-esque drums start off the first 30 seconds before an assortment of chimes, strings and horns fill out the sound. Worden’s haunting voice carries out the verse and chorus, while a bouncy bass riff follows along. Worden sings, “ Diamonds, disperse the white light,” before the song bursts into layers of synths and heavy drums. This song takes so many turns; it feels as though it could be three different tracks. Worden somehow manages to bring it all together into a cohesive, catchy as fuck single.
A soft synth loop begins titular track “This Is My Hand,” Worden’s soft voice and a simple piano piece easing into the song. Gradually more instruments add in, giving the song an increasingly full sound. This approach repeats throughout the album, structuring each song with a well-planned build up. It works well for My Brightest Diamond and allows Worden to exemplify her many musical skills, both instrumentally and vocally.
“Lover Killer,” another single, is one of the most solid songs on the collection. Slow claps and a minimal intro leave listeners waiting for Worden to burst into her unique sound. Layers of horns help her accomplish this, expanding the sound until she really lets loose and yells, “I am a lover and a killer!” about three minutes into the song. The track explodes into a funky bass and drum line that support the song until its end.
This tone follows into the next track, “I am not the Bad Guy.” This song is incredibly badass; Worden sounds like a better St. Vincent. Feel free to get defensive, but seriously--listen to this song and try to pretend that it doesn’t rule. Worden mixes smooth jazz, shredding on the guitar and sweet yet aggressive vocals into one great song.
The second half of the album is much less upbeat, showing a totally different side to My Brightest Diamond. “Shape” slows down with a repetitive and haunting marimba loop and guitars reminiscent of St. Vincent. “So Easy” commences with Worden displaying her classically trained vocals. This girl has some pipes, and she definitely puts them to use in this song. Even though this song is a bit slower, this is still one of the strongest songs on the album. The chorus is hauntingly beautiful and the whole band shows off how clean it is.
This Is My Hand is one of the most unique sounding albums of the year. Worden brings in a variety of influences and somehow manages to sort through it all to form a coherent album. Switching from jazz to rock to pop all in one song isn’t an easy task, but My Brightest Diamond pulls it off without breaking a sweat. This Is My Hand demonstrates the band’s ability to shift its sound into whatever genre it wants to be, something only the most talented musicians can accomplish.
